Imperial Philosophy
The Imperium of Andarra is a monolithic player in galactic affairs. Imperial vessels patrol the stars, their adamantium hulls a beacon for all who worships the Holy Mother, the Mother of Mothers. Its power is unmatched by any state in the galaxy—not even the mighty New Republic can defeat the incalculable numbers of the Imperium. However, for a state in the Imperium to exist, it must abide by an ideology—one that dictates its perception on the galaxy, its inhabitants, and, ultimately, itself. Through its ten millennia history, the Imperium of Andarra has abided many philosophies, but there are three in particular that have controlled the flow of debate in the Senatorum Imperialis for centuries. These are the Laws of Making, the Imperial Creed, and the Imperial Truth. There are other philosophies that can be found in the Imperium, such as The Way, a philosophy followed mostly by the peoples of the Mandalore Sector. The Laws of Making Written by the Holy Mother herself, the Laws of Making serves as the ideological basis for all of the Imperium's later philosophies as well as laying down the foundations of Imperial law. The Laws of Making was created as a response to the centuries of turmoil humanity had found itself after the Great Collapse. In the presence of total extinction, man fell back to its worst instincts—its animalistic urges that they have fought to suppress for so long. The Holy Mother would continuously revise the Laws of Making, with the most notable example being the clause added to religion, which subsequently led to Galatan's Rebellion. After the disappearance of the Mother of Mothers, the remnants of the Senatorum Imperialis decided to adopt her philosophy as the foundation for all future Imperial laws. Content The Laws of Making is actually a thousand-long page codex that discusses almost every facet of Imperial society, from its jurisdiction to the myriad of religions that can be found across its borders. Nevertheless, the Laws of Making can be understood by the following points: # There is no God, only truths. # The galaxy belongs to the righteous. # The aether binds us all. # Humanity is destined for greatness. None shall stop its path. # We are all brothers and sisters. Man must not fight man. Imperial Creed As the Imperium descends into madness, the Holy Mother's dream of a secular society slips away ever so slightly. The Inquisition, once a bastion against corrupt thoughts, have fallen, succumbing to their worst daemons. The Adeptus Ministorum soars in prestige as more and more citizens across the Imperium begin to worship the Mother of Mothers as the undisputed master of the cosmos. Unable to compete against the prestigious bodies of the Adeptus Ministorum and their fanatic brethren in the Inquisition, Emperor Sheev Franz allowed the Ecclesiarchy to introduce the Imperial Creed as the official state religion of the Imperium. Content The Imperial Creed was introduced as an extension to the Holy Mother's "Laws of Making", though the relevancy of her Holiness's words has decreased significantly as members of the Senatorum Imperialis, the Franz dynasty, and the common citizenry begin to favour the Imperial Creed in state affairs. Since its introduction, the Laws of Making has been dubbed the "Old Testament" whereas the Imperial Creed was dubbed as the "New Testament". The New Testament can be surmised into the following points: # Venerate the Immortal Mother, for She gave her life to save us from the Great Enemy. # Repent for sins committed, for She is merciful. # Seek Her guidance, for the ignorant are doomed to stray away from the light. # Strike down Her foes, for She believes in man's righteous claim on the cosmos. In any occasion, especially those concerning religion, attendees are expected to pray to Her holiness. "Love the Holy Mother, for She is the salvation of mankind. Obey Her words, for She will lead you into the light of the future. Heed Her wisdom, for She will protect you from evil. Whisper Her words with devotion, for they will save your soul. Honour Her children, for they speak in Her voice. Tremble before Her majesty, for we all walk in Her immortal shadow." Imperial Truth Penned by the late emperor Karl Franz, the Imperial Truth is one of the most divisive documents in Imperial history. It has dictated Imperial policy for the past three centuries and is commonly attributed as one of the main factors that led to the Gothic Revolts. Regardless, the contents of the Imperial Truth is fairly radical from the perspective of an Imperial citizen, espousing liberal notions of equality for all and freedom of speech. This has led to the widespread adoption of the philosophy by many citizens as the notions of peace are incredibly attractive to the average, depressed Imperial citizen. Nevertheless, the philosophy had merely exaggerated the cultural gap between the youth and the old that was present in the Imperium during Karl's reign. Content Unlike its predecessors, the Imperial Truth is a five-page document resembling more of a constitution than a massive compilation of thoughts and opinions. Its simplicity is one of the driving factors that made the philosophy popular amongst the low citizenry as they wouldn't need to learn High Andarran in order to grasp the points posited by Karl. # The galaxy is full of life, and to tame such beauty is to disrupt the grand design put forth by the Holy Mother. Love her creations, be it man or alien, for we are all Her children. # A single voice can spark a revolution. Let Man speak his words with impunity. # The Aether binds us all. # Our faith is emboldened through discourse. It is in good conscious to allow those who strayed away from the Holy Mother's light to venerate their own idol, but it is Man's duty to nurture the cosmos in our ways. Miscellaneous Philosophies The Way The Way is a unique philosophy held mostly by the peoples of Mandalore. It is older than any of the aforementioned philosophies, dating sometime during the Age of Strife, M8 A.D. Unlike other regions in the Imperium, the Mandalorian sub-sector enjoys a level of autonomy unmatched by any within the Imperium as they make up their obedience through the production of highly-trained soldiers capable of defeating entire armies in a single day. Nevertheless, these warriors follow a strict warrior code known as The Way. The oldest known text regarding The Way, the Canons of Concordia, extrapolates their values clearly: # A true child of Mandalore is forged in the heat of battle. # One must respect the traditions of another, no matter their animosity. # Diversity is our strength. # Venerate the She'keith, for they bless us with the strength to defeat our Enemies. # The She'keith smiles favourably upon those who gift those that follow The Way with their loyalty. # Death over dishonour. Some scholars argue that The Way resembles more of a religion than a philosophy, but as the Imperium only recognises one religion, that being the Church of the Mother, the Canons of Concordia were relegated into the category of philosophy, which some members of the Senatorum Imperialis oppose as they wish to ensure that the Mandalorians are treated equally by members of the Adeptus Terra.Category:Important